The WSJ had an article yesterday (Ex-MSNBC Chief Taps Journalists as Consultants) about former
MSNBC rising star Dan Abrams' new media strategy firm that he is launching to help business executives with PR. According to the article:
The firm's chief selling point will be a network of media insiders whose advice is available in exchange for an hourly fee. Mr. Abrams has assembled a roster of "thousands" of such professionals, he said, with the aid of former Huffington Post media writer Rachel Sklar. The firm has already signed its first client…
Let's see, thousands of professionals and one client. I don't have my calculator handy, but it sounds like they are on the road to profitability. Actually, this points to one of the more novel and compelling aspects of the model. The new firm will apparently not need to fund a large and expensive payroll but will engage these professionals just in time, as needed for projects.
It goes on to say:
Amid the economic downturn, many journalists have lost jobs at high-profile broadcast networks, newspapers and magazines, as well as at a host of local news organizations. Abrams Research aims to take advantage of these circumstances, providing work for the under- or unemployed, as well as access for its clients to veteran journalists.
There has been a saying in the tech industry: be careful of trashing the competition to loudly because you may one day wind up working for them. I am sure there must be some pithy observation about karma in here somewhere. We don't compete with journos but are sometimes looked down upon by them. It is kind of ironic that many are flocking to join our ranks, particularly since the employment outlook is not so rosy on this side either.
Anyway, I would not want to discourage anyone who wants to join the wonderful field of PR. And it is great to have someone as high profile as Dan Abrams – someone who has always impressed me as being smart and ambitious – make a play here. I applaud any effort to innovate in the field of PR.
Who knows, he could be onto something and I wish him luck.
